Call of the Night
by Rose Starre
Summary: Shadow Wind, a Night Fury, has been plagued by turmoil all her life. From hatching to no mother to losing her father afterwards, she has not had a pleasant life. So, she goes off in search of a better one among the various dragon clans.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. (Except perhaps the names and personalities of these characters)**

_**Prologue**_

Shadow Wing was dead. Her long struggle with a deadly disease was finally over. Her mate, Shade, would have been relieved that she had finally passed away. That is, if it hadn't been for the egg.

The corpse was stretched beside the egg, having poured love on it until her very end. Shade sat nearby, tears flowing forth from his eyes, falling onto the egg. Yet, he thought only of his mate, who now flew in the eternal heavens.

Opening his eyes, he gazed down at the egg as though for the first time. "I will have to care for you now," he told it softly. He nuzzled it gently. "You are mine," he whispered.

Suddenly, he heard Night Claw, one of his mate's good friends. She was just outside of the den, announcing that she was coming in to check up on her friend. Her head poked in, yellow eyes glowing happily. "Hello?" she said.

"Quietly, Night Claw," Shade hushed. "Shadow Wing is asleep. It would be wise for you to go now."

"Okay," Night Claw whispered. "I'll come back later." With that, she was gone.

Shade gently licked Shadow Wing's head. "How I loathe leaving you," he whispered. "But, I must keep our child safe. I fly for our child's benefit and ours." He pressed his head against hers one last time before murmuring, "My love goes to you in the heavenly realms. I pray that we meet again soon." With these parting words, he took the egg softly in his jaws and left.


	2. The Grief of the Father

_**Grief of the Father**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

After a few months of constant fear of discovery, Shade watched the hatchling tear its way through the frail eggshell and take its first breaths. It had two wings, two eyes, all of its tail fins, and the proper amount of claws on each of its paws. All in all, it was a strong hatchling; a healthy daughter.

He stood by as she opened her eyes for the first time. He gasped at the sight. Her eyes were perfect replicas of her mother's, the same blue-green of the ocean.

Shade had decided before that, should the hatchling be female, he would call her Night Wind. But, he found himself, time and time again, calling her by a mix of both her name and her mother's. So, this mix became her name: Shadow Wind.

Despite loving his daughter with his entire being, Shade couldn't help but to think about Shadow Wing. His heart felt hollow for not sharing these memories with his mate. He wished that she could have been there to see their daughter's first words, first steps, or first flight. And every time he looked into Shadow Wind's eyes, he longed again for his mate's company.

Helpless, Shade felt his mind slipping deeper and deeper into a dark pit of despair. His demeanor grew darker and darker until his heart had been hardened against even his daughter. The only thing that seemed to calm him was his nightly walks to the seaside cliffs.

One night, he left Shadow Wind much earlier than usual, upon feeling his great despair raising its ugly head. "Papa?" Shadow Wind called after him. He did not respond.

Naturally curious, as all hatchlings are, Shadow Wind followed her father. After a while of walking, the young dragon reached the seaside cliffs. She scampered towards Shade, happily giggling, "Papa! You left me behind!"

Lifting his gaze to the heavens, Shade believed he saw Shadow Wing gesturing for him to come to her. Closing his eyes, Shade murmured, "I fall that I may fly to you, my love." Without any knowledge that Shadow Wind was behind him, Shade let himself fall into the ocean.

"Papa!" Shadow Wind cried, running to the edge of the cliff. She peered down at the water and just caught a glimpse of her father sliding under the waves. Without a second thought, she dove after him. She pulled clumsily out of the dive moments before hitting the water.

Shadow Wind searched tirelessly for an hour, praying that her father might resurface. He never did. She flew back up to the top of the cliff and flopped down. Having lost the only family she had ever known, she cried for a rather long time, until the cool night wind finally dried her tears.

Feeling empty, Shadow Wind lay for a few hours near the sea, listening to the cruel waves crashing against the cliff. Finally opening her eyes, she cast her gaze towards the great multitudes of stars glistening overhead. "Where does Papa fly now?" she asked them in a small voice choked by tears. "Where do his wings glean the air? Where does he lie, that I may lie by his side again? Where can I again hear his words of love? Where? Where, stars?"

Shadow Wind dragged herself to her paws, moving slowly towards the edge of the cliff. She looked down at the water, watching the moonlight glint off of it. "Oh, that I had the courage to throw myself also into you, you cruel maw of earth!" she exclaimed after a few silent moments. "You have swallowed up my family, you rolling monster!" She blasted the sea with a fireball, which seemed to do nothing.

Sighing heavily, Shadow Wind turned from the sea. Walking inland some way, she flopped down again. Drawing her tail over her eyes, she gave herself up to sleep.

_To be continued…_


	3. The Nadder Clan

_**The Nadder Clan**_

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Shadow Wind woke with the first light of the rising sun. She looked at the soft hues of the sunrise for a few minutes. Remembering the events of the previous night, she turned from the sea and headed inland once again.

Once she had caught and eaten her breakfast, which she could hardly bring herself to do, Shadow Wind took to the skies. She flew in silence for a long while, making circuits around the island several times. When she finally came in for a landing on the plain, she came across the first clan of dragons she had ever seen: The Nadder Clan.

They stood on two legs, quite unlike Shadow Wind. They had horned crests and striped, extremely spiny tails. Their scales ranged from one pastel color to another and their wings were spotted with a multitude of colors. A great horn on their noses obscured part of their vision.

Wings tensed for flight, Shadow Wind approached the clan, namely the dragon she presumed to be the leader. He had the largest nose horn and peered around it at the approaching Night Fury. To him, it was quite obvious that she was young and afraid. Nonetheless, he would have to display his authority to her.

As Shadow Wind neared him, the leader of the Nadder Clan raised his horned crest to its greatest extent, showing his dominance. "State your business here, Fury," he commanded.

"I am weary from long flight and sorrow," Shadow Wind answered, lowering her head. "I beg that you grant shelter to a fatigued, lone soul."

"From what do you fly?" the leader asked.

"I fly from death, which was said to have sired my kind, yet takes us as its own at unpredictable times," Shadow Wind replied. "It is a wonder I am able to fly, with such a heart as heavy with sorrow as mine."

"Why is your heart so weighed with sorrow?" the leader queried.

"The sea, which surrounds this island sanctuary of ours, claimed the life of my only family," Shadow Wind whimpered softly

The leader of the Nadder Clan sighed. "I will grant you sanctuary among the Nadders," he proclaimed. "Only tell me your name."

"I am called Shadow Wind," the Night Fury answered.

"I am Shining Scale," the Nadder leader introduced himself. "Welcome to the Nadder Clan."

xXx

In return for their kindness, Shadow Wind helped the hunting party, who taught her exactly how to hunt the deer that came out of the forest to feed upon the sweet plains grasses. She also took some of their hatchlings on her leisure flights, teaching them how to master the air. With the Night Fury's help, the hatchlings were able to fly long before they would have with only their ordinary flight instructors.

Eventually, Shadow Wind began to release the loss of her father. Over her months with the Nadders, the haunting image of her father's disappearance beneath the waves began to fade. This fading memory was replaced by ones she made with the Nadder hatchlings.

Shining Scale and his mate, Needle Crown, became good friends with Shadow Wind. They admired her hunting skill and flight mastery, so much so that they asked that they might learn from her. In the evenings, the alpha pair could be seen flying with the Night Fury, learning to replicate her spirals and dives.

Life was actually good for once. However, all know that all good things must someday end. One year and three months after Shadow Wind had joined the Nadder Clan, one of Shining Scale's sons, Fire Horn, rebelled against his parents.

Shadow Wind was resting after a flight with the hatchlings. Suddenly, she heard raised shouts and great bellows. Lifting herself from the ground, she made her way to the source of the sound. What she found startled her intensely: Shining Scale lay bleeding on the ground while Fire Horn chased his mother away.

Although she would have loved to have been able to help Needle Crown, Shining Scale instantly became Shadow Wind's priority. She raced to his side, extremely worried. "Shadow Wind," he choked, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Fly, as swiftly as you can, away from this place. Fire Horn has ensured my end; he is alpha now." He coughed, spattering the ground with blood. "Always place your trust carefully," he continued, his life fading. "Do not make my mistake. Fly, child of shadow!" With these words, his spirit departed.

Shadow Wind was already flying as swiftly as she could manage when the tears began to flow. Shining Scale's death opened an old wound in her soul, refreshing the sadness she had gained when her father had left her. She now flew with no destination, existing with no place to call home. She flew for a while, until she finally decided that flying while viewing the world through a patina of tears was a bad idea.

Landing on the nearest available place, Shadow Wind shook her head to regain her bearings. As she stood there, vulnerable, something approached. Sensing this, she whirled around. The something grinned menacingly. "Hello," it said.

_To be continued…_

_Now I have left you with a cliffhanger! Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Sorry. I'll try to get the next chapter to you people as soon as I can. See you then!_


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